BYD Seal is Electric Car of the Year in Japan

The 3rd Annual Japan Electric Vehicle Awards marked the second consecutive year a product from a Chinese brand took the top prize. With a score of 195, the BYD Seal beat the Honda N-Van e: (182 points) and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (176 points).

Previously, BYD Seal also won the title of Japan's 10 best models for 2024-2025.

The electric sedan will enter Japan in 2024, with rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions. The award organizer, EVsmart, praised "BYD Seal has won unanimous praise from the public and the industry for its beautiful design style and comprehensive performance. It not only proves the excellent performance of pure electric vehicles, but also sets the industry benchmark with its high-quality driving experience."

Positioned as a four-door sedan, the BYD Seal is 4,800 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, 1,460 mm high and has a wheelbase of 2,920 mm. The design is based on the theme of "the smooth shape of freely swimming marine animals".

This model is equipped with an 82.56 kWh BYD Blade battery pack and the 4-wheel drive version can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds (5.9 seconds for the rear-wheel drive version).

The BYD Seal 2025 offers a range of 510 km, 650 km and 600 km depending on the battery. With fast charging mode, it takes 20 minutes to charge from 30% to 80%.

The cockpit features a 10.25-inch LCD instrument panel, a 15.6-inch floating center console display, W-HUD and flat-bottom steering wheel, DiLink 6.0 driver assistance system.

BYD plans to launch its first plug-in hybrid vehicle in Japan this year as well as new models every year in Japan, including electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to Liu Xueliang, general manager of BYD Asia-Pacific sales department and president of BYD Japan.

Also in the framework of the 2024 Electric Car of the Year award, in addition to the top 3 BYD Seal, Honda N-Van e: and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, there are 12 other models on the nomination list: Volvo EX30, Lexus RZ300e, Mitsubishi Minicab EV, Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron, Mini Cooper E/SE, Tesla Model 3 Performance, BMW iX1 eDrive20, Nissan Ariya Nismo, Lotus Emeya, Fiat 600e, Jeep Avenger, Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology. The electric models will all be launched in Japan between November 2023 and October 2024.

The 2024 Electric Car of the Year Award is open for voting from December 9, 2024 to January 31, 2025. Readers will vote for up to three electric vehicles. In addition, 27 judges representing the press and media will also participate in the scoring.